Tehran: Iran and North Korea Saturday called for expansion of bilateral ties.
During a meeting with North Korea’s ceremonial leader, Kim Yong Nam, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that two countries enjoy high capacity for the expansion of bilateral relations, reported Xinhua, citing the semi-official Mehr news agency.
Khamenei referred to common positions of Iran and North Korea in a number of areas and said that in the move towards the supreme objectives, nations should withstand pressure, threats and sanctions.
Kim, president of the presidium of North Korea’s Supreme People’s Assembly, for his part, said that the expansion of ties with Iran is among the strategic policies of his country, according to Mehr.
Also on Saturday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a separate meeting with the North Korean leader, expressed his gratitude to Kim for partaking in the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit which concluded Friday, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Like Iran, North Korea is also under the pressure of the arrogant powers, Ahmadinejad said, adding that the arrogant powers do not want any country to be independent, powerful and advanced, according to the report.
The Iranian president said that the two countries have many common grounds to cooperate and can help each other to grow and resist the arrogant powers.
Kim said that the successful hosting of the NAM summit in Tehran would have great impact on the development of the NAM and its objective of establishing new order in the world, said IRNA.
IRNA reported Saturday that Iran and North Korea signed a document on expansion of mutual cooperation in scientific, academic and technological know-how.
The document covers various issues such as conducting research studies, exchanging university students and researchers, setting up joint laboratories, sabbatical studies, exchanging technology of information, energy, environment, sustainable development, agriculture and food stuff, said IRNA.
The document was signed between Iran’s Science and Technology Minister, Kamran Daneshjoo and the North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun in the presence of Ahmadinejad and Kim.
Kim attended the NAM summit Aug 30-31 in Tehran and presented a speech.
In his remarks Thursday, he criticised the recent joint military exercise of the US and South Korea in the Korean Peninsula, saying the exercise pushes the region to the brink of war.